| WEB |
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Overview: Set a Clemson single season receptions record last year with 80.
Fall 2000 Depth Chart Position: First-team Wide Receiver
Years lettered: 1997, 1998, 1999
Bowl Participation: 1998 Peach Bowl vs. Auburn; 1999 Peach Bowl vs. Mississippi State
Overview:
Should be one of the top receivers in the nation in 2000...rated as number-three candidate for the Biletnikoff Award by Sporting News in its preseason publication for 2000...preseason first-team All-ACC selection by Lindy's and The Sporting News...ranked as eighth most talented player in the ACC in 2000 by Lindy's...set Clemson single season record for receptions (80) and reception yardage (1084)...first 1000-yard receiver in Clemson history...also set record for reception yards per game (90.3) and receptions per game (6.67)...top returning receiver in the ACC for 2000 based on total receptions...his 73 catches in the regular season in 1999 tied for the sixth best single season total in ACC history...led the ACC in total receptioins in 1999, but was second on a per game basis to Florida State's Peter Warrick...has come from nowhere to sixth in Clemson history in total receptions...has 108 career catches, the seventh player in Clemson history to reach the 100-reception mark, he needs just 54 receptions in 2000 to break Terry Smith's record...also ranked 10th in receiving yardage with 1448...had five 100-yard receiving games in 2000, tied for second most in a season in Clemson history...Tony Horne (1997) holds the record with six....one of the most improved players in the country, he went from 28 catches as sophomore to 80 as a senior...made similar improvement in the classroom, he won team award as most improved player on the team in the classroom...Clemson's leading receiver all year, the master of the down field leaping catch, he uses his strength and height to make diving, leaping receptions like no other Clemson player in history....veteran of 1374 plays for his career, fourth among active Tigers...has played in 35 straight games, one of three active Tigers who have not missed a game...has powerf index of 7.22, second best on the team...has made great strides in the weight room (see chart), and now has 407 pound bench press, 36-inch vertical jump and 4.48 time in the 40...another in a long line of outstanding players from Jacksonville who have come to Clemson...from same high school as current NFL players Patrick Sapp and Brian Dawkins, who also attended Raines HS...freshman receiver Kevin Youngblood, is also a graduate of Raines.
In 1999:
Second-team All-ACC for 1999....ranked second in the ACC and 17th in the nation in receptions with 6.6 per game...ranked third in the ACC and 23rd in the nation in reception yards per game.....he finished 10th in the ACC in all-purpose yards, quite an accomplishment considering he had all but one of his yards on receiving...tied Clemson single game record with 11 catches against Marshall in the season opener...also had a 10-reception game in victory over Duke, he gained 122 yards in that game...had at least five catches in 11 of the 12 games...that includes 7-75 reception performance against Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl...had 37-yard reception on first play of the game, it was another in a long line of diving catches by the 6-3 receiver from Jacksonville, FL...had his most important game at South Carolina when he had 6 receptions for a career high 138 yards and two scores, including game clincher on a 4th-down play with six minutes left...chosen to the CNN/SI National Honor Roll for his performance against South Carolina...also given a "Game Ball" by Football News for his efforts against the Gamecocks...also given the Army ROTC Offensive Player of the Game for the South Carolina contest...his fourth-quarter, fourth-down 29-yard touchdown reception was the Jefferson Pilot/Amoco Play of the Game against South Carolina....started the year strong with a 111-yard game against Marshall, and ended the regular season strong with 6-138 against South Carolina...only Georgia Tech held Gardner under five catches and only two teams held him under 50 yards...only had four touchdown receptions, but two were against South Carolina...fine all-around athlete who was a high school quarterback, Gardner was 2-2 passing for 15 yards, both passes to Woodrow Dantzler.
In 1998:
Fourth on the 1998 Tigers in receptions with 20-263...had his top reception total against Duke when he had four for 39 yards...had his only touchown of the year when he caught a nine-yard touchdown against Georgia Tech...caught at least one pass in 10 of the 11 games, the only game he failed to catch a pass was at North Carolina...had a high of 79 receiving yards against Wake Forest, he was 2-79 in that game...that included a 63-yard reception on the opening drive of the game...finished the year with four straight games with at least two catches...averaged 13.2 yards a catch last year, up from 12.6 as a freshman.
In 1997:
Made circus catch to provide big touchdown at Wake Forest...the 41-yard reception at the corner of the endzone gave Clemson 25-10 lead in the third period on the way to 33-16 victory...that was his only scoring reception of the season...had seven catches for 74 yards overall, including two catches apiece against Georgia Tech and Virginia...had five-yard catch in overtime victory against Duke..started the Virginia game when Clemson went to three wide receiver starting set...played career high 40 snaps in that game and 36 plays at Georgia Tech..came into the fall of 1997 as a defensive back, he was moved to wide receiver before the season started.
In 1996:
Red-shirted the season as a first-year freshman quarterback and wide receiver...came to Clemson as a quarterback and wide receiver, but moved to the secondary in the spring of 1997...backup strong safety behind Antwan Edwards heading into the fall of 1997.
In High School:
Passed for 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns at Raines High, the same school that sent Brian Dawkins and Patrick Sapp to Clemson...also rushed for 700 yards and seven scores...accumulated over 2500 yards of total offense and 40 touchdowns over his last two years...named football and basketball MVP...a Tom Lemming All-Southeast selection...All-Florida by SuperPrep...chosen to the Jacksonville Super 24 team...all-area, all-conference, all-region and all-state...three-year starter in football, basketball and baseball...ranked as the seventh best athlete in the Southeast by the National Recruiting Advisor...all-conference in basketball...#7 athlete in the South by the Plyler Report...played for Freddie Stephens at Raines High in Jacksonville, FL...born Roderick F. Gardner on 10-26-77...majoring in industrial education.
Gardner's Improvement in Strength Training and Football Stats |
||
| Category | 1997 | 1999 |
| Body Weight | 220 | 214 |
| Bench Press | 300 | 407 |
| Reps of 225 | 12 | 22 |
| Hang Clean | 317 | 353 |
| Squat | 360 | 477 |
| Vertical Jump | 33 | 36 |
| 40-yard time | 4.61 | 4.48 |
| Receptions | 8 | 80 |
| Reception Yards | 101 | 1084 |
| Touchdowns | 1 | 4 |
